The actor was first remembered during the in-memoriam tribute, soundtracked by Sarah Bareilles's live performance of "Smile," following his death earlier this month.

When the segment concluded, Crystal appeared on stage to pay tribute to his longtime friend.

"He made us laugh hard, every time you saw him on television, arenas, hospitals, homeless shelters, and even in a dying girl's living room," Crystal said. "The relentless energy was kind of thrilling. I used to think, 'If I could just put a saddle on him and stay on for eight seconds, I'd be all right.'"

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The tearful actor added: "It's very hard hard to talk about him in the past because he was in our present for almost 40 years."

Watch Crystal's full tribute:

The in-memoriam segment, which remembers those in the television industry who have passed away over the past 12 months, also included the late James Garner, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Shirley Temple.